A Ghostly Encounter
by EerieEyes
Summary: Autumn leaves flew up from the speed the two were going at; stones sparked; their world seemed to stretch; and time flipped from slowing down to speeding up. Toris's short, brown hair fluttered behind him as he continued to kick at his horse in the hopes of making her run faster. But no matter how much she pushed, how much she snuffled and snorted, they can not shake off the ghost.


_November 5th, 1924:_

If the sudden stop from the taxi didn't awaken the sleeping Lithuanian up then the voice of the driver did the trick. "Hey! Wake up chief. We have arrived" Toris blinked and opened his green eyes half way. It took a moment to snap out of his dozy state, still trying to adjust to the time zone difference, and realize where _here_ is. "Come on, hurry up." The driver said in an annoyed tone: hinting that he is trying to hurry the process along.

"Sorry" Lithuania said and stepped out of the vehicle. He packed up his belongings and handed the driver over some cash America had left for him. Toris curved a smile and thanked him for the ride but the stout taxi man didn't respond back to the kind comment—muttering something under his breath about Eastern European immigrants. After he had finished counting the money, he made a U-turn and booked it. Exhaust fumes bellowed out and disappeared towards the overcast blanketing the vicinity. As the car disappeared from sight, Lithuania began to study the town he is in.

Compared to the concrete jungles of Manhattan, Tarrytown is like the quiet, elder neighbor that lives next door. It was quite hard for the Baltic nation to believe that such a place exists only twenty minutes from a noisy, lively city. The bright orange, red, and yellow colors that dot the trees contributed to the more relaxing mood the place emits. A few carved pumpkins scattered here and there is the only thing remaining of the Halloween season and there is not a single shop in sight that belongs to a big named corporation. Perhaps it will only be a matter of time until one decides to show up, but, for now, all the business here are independently run.

Concerning the inhabitants, however, they are…oddly curious, is the best way for him to put it in English. While the majority of New Yorkers rarely bat an eye at the people they passed, most (if not all) the citizens here kept glancing over in his direction. Lithuania wouldn't have mind if they ushered in a hello or a nod. Instead, they seemed confused yet intrigued about the stranger coming down the streets.

All of this sudden interest coming from the locals unnerved the Baltic. He is not at all used to being the center of attention. _'Maybe they don't have many visitors coming through here?' _was one idea that popped in Lithuania's head, _'And everybody probably knows each other too so…'_ he began to rationalize when an all too familiar voice caught his attention.

"Toris!? Hey, Toris, over here! You made it! Glad to see I made it clear enough in my note where to go!"

Toris stopped. He didn't see anyone at first until he caught a figure, a few blocks down and across the street, waving at him. "Oh, Mister Ameri—um, Alfred! Hello!" he replied back and made his way towards said American. Lithuania felt at ease to finally see somebody he recognizes. "It's great to see you agai—"

"Ahem, uhh, Toris…" Alfred looked at him up and down as he drew closer. The Lithuanian stared back at the young nation with a bemused expression. Not quite sure what the blonde is trying to get across. When he finally got the hint and looked down, the brunette let out a simple "oh" of realization. He completely forgot to switch out of his traditional clothes to the more American ones before he got off the ship today. Most of the time he would change to avoid any drama about him being an obvious immigrant but it must have just slipped from his mind to do so.

"Hehe, well that explains all the strange looks I've been getting." He tried to brush it off humorously, but in truth Toris felt his whole body warm up from embarrassment.

To America's credit he realized his friend's mood and played along. "Hmph, guess so. Say, why don't we book it to the hotel." He suggested, "You can change and take a breather there if you want to too." And with that both nations took off to their destination point as they "beat the gums" on what they did in the past two months.

The next two days were much more eventful as he and America toured around the village and another village with the same name, but is dubbed "South Tarrytown". When Lithuania originally saw the name of the place he was staying in, he thought it meant that he needed to head to the northern half of Tarrytown. Either way, there wasn't much to see from either or. But coming here to sight-see wasn't the reason why they are here.

According to America, he wanted to change things up a bit and stay somewhere he rarely visits. Yet by the time the idea struck him he remembered that Lithuania was scheduled to arrive back in New York soon. He considered putting it off for another time but then recalled this place. Next thing he knew he packed up his things, quickly made a note addressed to Toris where to go once he arrived, and left some money covering the cab fee.

Lithuania isn't sure why America just couldn't wait for him instead and then the both of them could take off together, but he never questioned it. It's all in the past anyways.

Despite there being nothing much to do, it provided an excellent time slot for Lithuania to catch up on his ever-growing library of books he has collected since he started working for the American nation. Settled in his own bed, Toris silently read a book he started weeks ago. Sometimes, when he came across a English word he is unfamiliar with or is unsure what it is, he would mouth out the words and then would ask his employer if he is saying it correctly. However he could not do the latter because Alfred went out to go get a cup of...whatever the slang term for coffee is. A half an hour passed by when a soft click broke the silent atmosphere. America has returned with a paper bag in hand—which the European believes to contain sweets inside.

"Hey, I'm back...still reading that thing?"

"Mm-hm." Lithuania hummed and did not take his eye off the sentence he is on. The book is reaching its climax and Toris is intended on reading through the last chapter. He was at the part where the main character is about to come up with a plan when America said something that made the Baltic stop reading. "W-what?"

"A hike. Tomorrow. Wanna come?" the blonde repeated the main points on what he had just said.

"Um…" Toris considered his options. Refusing could give him the RnR time he still needs to really unwind by himself. The other option is that he'll get some exercise and see more of the scenery. Eventually the brunette came up with his answer, "No. I'm going to skip out on that one. Thank you though. Besides, what's there to see that we haven't already seen?"

America shrugged as he munched at his desert, "Nothing much. Just had this spark in me to do it…and I want to visit South Tarrytown one last time too before we leave here after tomorrow." America threw in at the last second.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?"

America paused. He hasn't really thought about what time he should shove off. "Well I'll probably leave here around eight (am) and I won't come back until, let's say, three-ish…latest at four for sure."

Lithuania furrowed his brows in confusion. Not really sure what to make of the rather lengthy time. But perhaps America is overestimating how long he'll actually be gone. "Alright, well, have fun then."

"Oh trust me, I think I'll find something entertaining to do."

* * *

"Alfred!?" Lithuania cried out for the last time as he neared a few lumps of rough logs that formed a narrow, sketchy bridge. No response came. When the stubborn horse, Holly, came to a slow stop, and didn't want to cross the bridge, he gave her a good few kicks to the ribs and urged her to walk on. She gingerly placed one hoof down after the other and held her ears back at the moaning and groaning underneath her. When they crossed, Lithuania patted at her neck to let her know he appreciated her bravery. Now all they have to do is follow this road until they come across another one that will take them back to North Tarrytown.

The last strip of light has been gone hours ago and light mist began to roll in from the East. The only source of light guiding him now is the dull moonlight that is able to shine through the trees tops and the lantern he has strapped beside him. He checked around both Tarrytowns, explored the woods as much as he can, and is now on his way back to the hotel in the vain hopes that America made it back okay. Hopefully the blonde read his note to stay put at the hotel.

Boy talk about a rough night. When Alfred did not return back on the time he promised, Lithuania began to feel a twinge of worry. His worries bubbled and brewed as dusk loomed in yet he assured himself that the young nation probably stopped by some restaurant or bar. Now Toris had wished he would have gone with his senses and left earlier rather than leave at nine o' clock at night. It's not that he knows he shouldn't be worried for his friend—Alfred is a nation and knows his own lands better than anyone else—but, call it his nature, Lithuania can't help but worry about those he cares about.

After investigating around North Tarrytown, Lithuania went to go visit its southern neighbor. He asked random folks if they have seen someone of Alfred's description but they all said they haven't seen him. As luck would have it, an old farmer overheard the Baltic's plight and offered him to borrow his horse and lantern to navigate through woods.

"_I…I don't think I'll need a horse sir. Thank you though." _

"_No, trust me, you'll be better searching in the woods with Miss Holly here." He gave a light slap near her rear end and a bit of dust flew up. "Just make sure you return her by tomorrow. Hand her over to the people at the gas station and they'll take care of her."_

_Lithuania wanted to protest. But then again, this horse is for free and could be useful. He inspected the old multicolored monochrome mare briefly and then took her leading rope from the owner. The farmer smiled._

_"I'm sure your friend just got lost. Perhaps slipped and hurt his leg or something. Happens at least to someone once a year. That or he meet the horseman."_

"_...h-horseman?"_

"_You don't know him? He's famous around these parts." Toris shook his head back and forth. "The Headless Horseman is whom I'm referring to. Legend has it he wanders these very woods at night looking for his head. But it's all just superstition from long ago, no need to get the jitterbugs." _

Lithuania is not sure why but the longer he stayed out here, alone in the dark, the more he thought back to what the old farmer said about the ghost. Now he may personally not believe in such myths and legends anymore, they are stories after all, but it didn't stop the brunette from getting spooked from the very idea that there is something out there watching him. In fact, this general area has been freaking him out. Aside from the clopping from Holly's hooves and the soft whistling wind, the area is awfully still. Not even once did he hear a chirp of a cricket or a croak from a frog. Branches from the trees began to look like boney hands ready to grab him at any second and the mist can easily hide anything from a faraway distance. All in all, the atmosphere is just perfect for such scary tales to take place in. In fact he is sure the witching hour is upon him.

'_Heh, I think I'm becoming just as paranoid as Mr. America.'_ Lithuania said to himself as a joke and gave out a small chuckle.

As he was pulling himself back together, a horse's whinny completely threw his merrier mood out the window and left him tense. Lithuania pulled on Holly's girdle and listened. The back of his hair stood erect as the "_clop, clop, clop"_ of another horse seemed to draw closer and closer from where he came from. He cast a look behind him and stayed still until a figure emerged from the fog. Whoever this person is, however, he wanted to keep his distance and stay hidden in the shadows.

The two riders stood in a standstill. Lithuania is unsure if he should speak up or wait for a response. Despite the distance, it was easy to tell that the other rider is of considerably dimension and mounts on a dark horse of great stature.

When it became obvious that his midnight companion did not want to make the first move, Toris spoke up. "H-hello?" Lithuania gulped after receiving no answer. He licked his lips and gave a shaky smile, thinking that the stranger may be wary as well, "You came from Tarrytown, right? I mean the South one, not the North. You gave me quite a scare there. Who are you anyways?" Again, the figure remained silent and unmoved. Not helping making the awkward situation any easier or dodgy. "Um, are you okay sir? Do you need me to lend you a hand?" And just like before, the cloaked man did not speak.

"Guess I'll be going then…" The Baltic muttered to himself as he gave Holly a light tap to her ribs. He kept his eyes trained behind him until the gap between the two riders was at a good distance. Lithuania let out a heavy sigh, '_What a uncanny fellow'_.

"_Clop clop clop"_

Toris shuttered when he stared back and saw the man still perusing him. "Hey!" Lithuania barked out. He has had enough of this foolishness and was not in the mood of whatever this guy is trying to pull, "Whatever it is your doing, this is not funny!" The moment he said that, the stranger's horse picked up its pace and is trotting their way. Lithuania considered stopping his horse again to have a word with his mysterious guest, up close this time, until the midnight rider briefly past through an area with a slimmer of moonlight.

It was just for a split second, but Toris felt his stomach drop; heart stood still; blood run cold; and having the feeling like something is pulling at his nerves. A few sharp kicks at Holly's side sent the horse dashing like mad.

Autumn leaves flew up from the speed the two were going at; stones sparked; their world seemed to stretch; and time flipped from slowing down to speeding up. Toris's short, brown hair fluttered behind him as he continued to kick at his horse in the hopes of making her run faster. But no matter how much she pushed, how much she snuffled and snorted, they could not shake off the headless ghost.

Lithuania did not even dare to look back at the horseman of legend. He does not need to panic anymore then he already is and must focus to come up of a strategy or maneuver that could lose the ghost if the time calls for it.

Just then the faint sensations of hot breath hitting at the back of his neck finally set the Lithuanian's mind into panic mode and, without even thinking about it, gave a sharp tug at Holly's reigns to make her turn left immediately. Holly followed his lead and got off the main path—barely missing running into a tree in the process.

Toris was able to straighten her out but he did not take her back on the trail. The Headless Horseman, still riding on the paved path, is now running besides him. Only the few lining of trees between them kept them separated.

The road to North Tarrytown is in sight, but Lithuania realized if he doesn't get back on the main road soon then he'll miss his opportunity and be forced to take the other forked road leading to a cemetery. An opening in the trees was coming up and Lithuania had to think fast on what to do. An idea finally came to mind; and while it is a gamble, if it worked out then he has not only put himself back on the main road but has bought a few seconds of time to take a big lead.

The Baltic waited for the right opportunity and failed to notice his opponent pulling out a round, plump object. Shortly before they reached the end of the tree barrier, Toris leaned forwards and pulled the reigns to his right. His timing couldn't have been more calculated as he surprised his pursuer by using his own horse to bump into the other. The attack stunned the horseman's steed and the beast tremendously slowed down.

Lithuania let out a happy huff that his plan had worked out and gave out another convulsive kick to Holly's side. He is almost there. He is about to enter into town. Surely the ghost will not follow him there. And before he knew what hit him, something blunt collided with the back of his head and sent him tumbling down to the ground before he blacked out.

* * *

Within his slumber, Toris picked up the distinctive sounds of sporadic feet pacing and pausing nearby. Sometimes the noises were objects hitting against something else, running water, or other distinctive activities. And other times he just couldn't quite figure out what was going on.

Besides the fact that the back of his head is throbbing a bit, feels extremely tired, and is completely drenched with sweat, he seems fine overall. When the dizziness began to fade, he managed to open his heavy eyelids up and saw that everything was fuzzy. He blinked to clear his blurry vision until he was able to make out the familiar shapes of a drawer with an unlit gas lamp sitting next to an electric one; a warm, peach-colored curtain covering the window; and a wall painted with a creamy white color.

Another sound emitted behind him. The Baltic turned around to see Alfred folding a piece of his clothes before placing it down in his luggage. Lithuania waited to see if his friend noticed that he has awaken but it became obvious that America was preoccupied.

"Hey." Alfred flinched from the sudden voice but managed to recognize who is speaking right away.

"Oh, hey. Good morning. How are you feeling?" he replied back not in his usual chipper manner.

"My head kind of hurts. I think I have a migraine or something." Lithuania placed a hand over his forehead to check his temperature. He can't really tell if he's warm or not. Images of what had happened last night did cross his mind. Acting like a reminder in some way but seeing that he's back in the hotel room, and in bed, he dismissed the chase as being one of those really bad dreams that seems real. Most of the time those kind of nightmares involved being back under Russia's care.

"Do you need me to bring you something?" Alfred asked, "Like a glass of water or food?"

"Water sounds good." Toris attempted a smile but wasn't feeling up to it.

"One fresh, cool water. Comming right up!." America gave him the thumbs up and took off to go downstairs. In his haste, Alfred left his unpacked clothes sprawled out on his own bed along with a blue book whose spine is faced away from the Baltic.

'_I didn't know Alfred was reading something lately_.' Toris wondered if it's something he might like to read one day. Curiosity got the better of him as he got out from the comfort of his bed to see what it is.

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Washington Irving_._" Is what is engraved in gold text on the book's spine. The brunette examined the thin book before he opened up to the first page to read the first few paragraphs:

_'In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson, at that broad expansion of the river denominated by the ancient Dutch navigators the Tappan Zee, and where they always prudently shortened sail and implored the protection of St. Nicholas when they crossed, there lies a small market town or rural port, which by some is called Greensburgh, but which is more generally and properly known by the name of Tarrytown.'_

Toris stopped reading, taken aback that Tarrytown is even mentioned, but eventually got over his shock and carried on.

_'Not far from this village, perhaps about two miles, there is a little valley or rather lap of land among high hills, which is one of the quietest places in the whole world...From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by the name of Sleepy Hollow.'_

Then the author then went on describing that the place is full of local ghostly tales and hauntings made up by the inhabitants.

_'The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the Revolutionary War, and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind. Such is the general purport of this legendary-'_

He closed the book; unable to read anymore of the tale. Confusion, anger, and fear swept over him. So, last night's event wasn't a dream afterall. But there's no such things as ghost...right? Part of his mind really did not want to believe the insane notion and that it was only a person in costume. However the other side of him argues that Tony is a real alien so why dismiss the possibility that last night's rider is a ghost. Lithuania needed answers; and he needs them right now or else he'll get even more upset. It was with perfect timing too that America returned back to the room to witness the shaking Baltic nation clutching the book in his hands and staring back at him with a serious disposition. The look on America's face easily read that he knew what was going to happen next.

"America, can I ask you something?"

* * *

**Author's Note**: Happy (very) late Halloween! Here's a short story to celebrate! I'm so sorry this wasn't posted earlier during the October season but I literally had this idea come to me when I rewatched Tim Burton's _Sleepy Hollow_ (followed by the Disney version) during Halloween. That and my college classes at the time took up most of my time and energy that I didn't even want to look at my stories at all. Hopefully that will change now that I only have two classes this semester instead of five (one of which is a Creative Writing class) but life is a funny thing man, you never know what can happen. I could have saved this story for next Halloween and worked on my *scheduled* next story but this was almost complete and I wanted to publish something so people didn't think I was dead ("I'm not dead yet!").

Also who do you guys think was the horseman of legend: the ghost himself or someone else...perhaps a certain American nation? I tried to keep the ending a mystery to follow the mystery the original story left too (was it Brom Bones or the ghost) except the protagonist survives in the end and is about to get his answer.

**Historical/Other Notes**:

_Sleepy Hollow (general)_: So while I was studying the path Ichabod took (and where I wanted Lithuania to have has his encounter), I found out that many spots or landmarks—like the original bridge, the Van Tassel house, and Wiley's swamp—are no longer there or have been build upon. However if you search up "Retracing Ichabod Crane's Journey Through Sleepy Hollow" on Google then you will find a good guide (and pictures) of the route and landmarks in the story (along with some little historical facts).

Lithuania's route is slightly different as I had him take the path that lead him back to Sleepy Hollow (formally known as North Tarrytown until in 1996) instead of the one to the Old Dutch Church which Ichabod took. But I found no sources that would tell me what the town and area looked like in the 1920's so I had to mix what Sleepy Hollow looks like now to what it would have been in Irving's time. But I hope I was able to get the basic jest of the area and the path because it's one thing reading about an area and seeing pictures/videos vs actually being there in order to describe it (and I never been to New York).

If you want to read the original "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" story it's available online for free at a site called Project Gutenberg. I also recommend those to listen to both Bing Crosby's and Thurl Ravenscroft's versions of Disney's "Headless Horseman" song on Youtube.


End file.
